The influence of light on the diel vertical migration of young-of-the-year burbot Lota lota in Lake Constance

The diel vertical distribution of young‐of‐the‐year (YOY) burbot Lota lota in the pelagic zone of Lake Constance was compared to light intensity at the surface and to the light intensity at their mean depth. Lota lota larvae inhabited the pelagic zone of Lake Constance from the beginning of May unti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of fish biology 2009-01, Vol.74 (1), p.150-166
Main Authors: Probst, W. N., Eckmann, R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustics
Animals
Fresh Water
Freshwater
Gadiformes - physiology
gadoid
Germany
hydroacoustics
Larva - physiology
Larva - radiation effects
larvae
Light
Lota
Lota lota
Models, Statistical
ontogeny
pelagic
Photoperiod
predator evasion
Regression Analysis
Seasons
Water - analysis
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Summary:The diel vertical distribution of young‐of‐the‐year (YOY) burbot Lota lota in the pelagic zone of Lake Constance was compared to light intensity at the surface and to the light intensity at their mean depth. Lota lota larvae inhabited the pelagic zone of Lake Constance from the beginning of May until the end of August. From early June, after the stratification of the water column, fish performed diel vertical migrations (DVM) between the hypolimnion and epilimnion. The amplitude of DVM increased constantly during the summer and reached 70 m by the end of August. Lota lota started their ascent to the surface after sunset and descended into the hypolimnion after sunrise. As the YOY fish grew from May to August, they experienced decreasing diel maximum light intensities: in May and early June L. lota spent the day at light intensities >40 W m−2, but they never experienced light intensities >0·1 W m−2 after the end of June. From this time, L. lota experienced the brightest light intensities during dusk and dawn, suggesting feeding opportunities at crepuscular hours. The present study implies, that YOY L. lota in the pelagic zone of Lake Constance increased their DVM amplitude during the summer to counteract a perceived predation risk related to body size and pigmentation.
ISSN:0022-1112
1095-8649
DOI:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2008.02120.x